Israel's army stops activist ship: Thunberg and relief supplies in danger!

Israel's army stops activist ship: Thunberg and relief supplies in danger!

Köln, Deutschland - The situation in the Gaza Strip remains tense and tragic. On June 9, 2025, an activist ship that was loaded with relief goods was stopped by Israeli authorities. The NGO activist Greta Thunberg and eleven other colleagues opened from Sicily on June 1st to transport urgently needed goods such as baby and medical food to Gaza. But the ship called "Madleen" was quickly brought to the Israeli coast. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the cargo is too low to go through as a auxiliary delivery, and the activists only wanted to stage a media provocation, reports [Radio Köln] (https://www.radiokoeln.de/artikel/israels-armeee-stoppt-dem-dweg- after-gaza-2348739.html).

Israel made it clear that the sea blockade of the Gaza Strip cannot be broken. Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered to prevent the ship's arrival. Thunberg, who is not only known for her climate protection activities, but also fights for the Palestinian thing, wanted to draw attention to the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, where around two million people live.

Humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is alarming: since October 7, 2023 there have been over 25,000 dead and 62,000 injuries by Israeli military interventions. Medical care is severely impaired: only three hospitals are currently fully functional, while 20 are completely out of operation. Of the 77 basic medical care centers, only 15 are open. This describes Cadus as a catastrophic state in which almost the entire population suffers hunger and urgently depends on help.

The WHO estimates that 1.93 million people had to flee from Gaza, which corresponds to about 85 % of the population. The possibilities of humanitarian aid are also severely restricted: almost all border crossings are closed and the transmission of materials for vital projects is enormously difficult. These restrictions have devastating effects on the supply of food, medication and medical staff.

The struggle for attention

The "Freedom Flotilla Coalition" is a network that actively works for an end to the blockade of Gaza. It is the focus of a movement attempt that tries to focus on the information that people receive about suffering in the region. The spokesman for "Free Gaza Australia", James Godfrey, emphasizes the difficulty of receiving precise numbers about the dead in the Gaza Strip. It is estimated that the number of deaths has risen to up to 186,000 since the beginning of the conflicts in October 2023 (https://www.3cr.org.au/palestine/updates-gaza-james-godfrey-freee-and-freeedom-flotilla).

In order to draw attention to the situation, Cadus plans the first medical emergency use in the Gaza Strip. The challenges are enormous, but the Cadus team is determined to help even under difficult conditions. The medical emergency, in which chronically ill can no longer be cared for, requires immediate action and international support.

Although the blockage continues to exist, numerous organizations and activists strive to support the people affected. The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has ethical, political and social dimensions that cannot be ignored.